ISBN 978-952-5726-04-6 (Print), 978-952-5726-05-3 (CD-ROM)

Proceedings of the International Symposium on Intelligent Information Systems and Applications (IISA09)
Qingdao, P. R. China, Oct. 28-30, 2009, pp. 196-198

Nonlinearity Compensation of NTC Thermistor

Based on LABVIEW
1

Zhongjun Ding1, Jinliang Li2, and Yang Wang2

The First Institute of Oceanography, SOA, Qingdao, China

dzj@fio.org.cn
2
College of Automation and Electronic Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
jinjinliang20000@163.com, wangy1767@163.com
compensate for the NTC thermistor characteristics in realtime, and it has low cost, high flexibility and reliability
and so on.
LABVIEW[6] is a graphical development platform of
virtual instrument, is based on a graphical language (G
Language) development environment, it is similar to
many high-level programming language, is also a multipurpose programming languages. But it is not to use
words to describe, but to use graphics to describe, through
the similar to traditional programs debugging tools, users
can clearly see the data flow in the proceedings, so that
they make programs debugging more convenient. To use
it can carry out academic discipline principles research,
design, testing, and the realization of equipment
programming and data acquisition, it can greatly enhance
the work efficiency, so it is accepted widely by the fields
of industry, academia and research laboratories and
viewed as a standard data collection and instrument
control software.

AbstractIn order to achieve high-precision temperature

measurement, we use the LABVIEW software platform,
and develop a set of the compensation system about NTC
thermistor resistance and temperature (R-T) characteristics,
and propose a inversional curve fitting method about NTC
thermistor R-T characteristics. Through the R-T
characteristics, we fit the coefficient B curve equation of the
different resistance value, calculate in real time and get the
actual corresponding temperature value, then analyse and
compare the method by examples. Experiments show that:
the software has a good human-machine interface and is
quick to process data, in a wide temperature range,
measurement error is less than 0.004 thought the
method.
Index TermsLABVIEW, B coefficient, NTC Thermistor,
Linear Fitting

I. INTRODUCTION
NTC thermistor has the high sensitivity, small heat
capacity, fast response, small size, low cost, highresistance and other advantages[1], it is widely used in
temperature measurement and control occasion, such as
household appliances, power industry, military science,
marine exploration and aerospace etc. However, due to
the serious non-linear of the thermistor temperature
characteristics, therefore, when it is used in precise
temperature measurement system, it must be compensated
with high precision linearization.
There
are
many
non-linear
characteristics
compensation methods[2] of NTC thermistor, on the
whole, it includes two types: hardware and software
technology. Hardware compensation[3] is to use
appropriate electronic circuits and components for
correction, in a certain temperature range, we can gain
more satisfied compensation effect, but in the wide
temperature range, there are some disadvantages such as
circuits complexity, poor reliability, low accuracy. One of
the software compensation is the polynomial fitting
method[5], in the wide temperature measurement, it has
greater error; piecewise polynomial fitting algorithm is
more complex, has low real-time feature. LABVIEW
software platform used to design a set of the inversion
curve fitting algorithm of NTC thermistor resistance with
temperature (R-T) characteristics, it can non-linearly
Subject supportDirector Fund of Oceanorgraphy, SOA
(GY2008G25),
National 863 Plan (2006AA09A203-02)
2009 ACADEMY PUBLISHER
AP-PROC-CS-09CN003

II. THE BASIC PRINCIPLE OF NON-LINEAR

COMPENSATION
NTC (Negative Temperature Coefficient) thermistor
has the negative temperature coefficient, and is a
electronic components which resistances non-linearity
declines as the temperature increases in a certain
measurement power, and is very sensitive to temperature,
usually, we use coefficient B[7] to characterize its degree
of sensitivity to temperature. Coefficient B is defined as a
ratio between the difference value of zero-power
resistance value of the natural logarithm and the
difference value of two inverse temperature in two
temperature, that is,

InR1 InR2
1 1
T1
T2

(1)

Where B is thermistor Index of the thermistor NTC,

T1 is one absolute temperature value( K ), T2 is another

absolute temperature value( K ) differented from T1 , R1
is the zero-power resistance value( K ) when T1 , R2 is
the zero-power resistance value( K ) when T2 . By the
formula (1), we can get the relations between the
temperature of NTC thermistor resistance and the
simplified formula as follows:
196

T2

T1 B
B T1 ( InR1 InR2 )

Nonlinear compensation algorithm steps are as follows:

1) First of all, we determine the reference temperature
value T1 of NTC thermistor and the corresponding
resistance value R1 , the requirementis that the reference

(2)

There is a serious non-linearity about thermistor

temperature-resistance characteristic, that is, in a certain
temperature range, B coefficient is not constant, but with
the increasing temperature, then B coefficient will
become larger. As shown in Figure 1. Therefore, if
looking the B as a constant value, we use directly the
traditional formula (2), it appears larger errors between
the temperature curve value and the actual measured
value.
In order to improve the accuracy of temperature value,
and compensate the non-linearity of NTC thermistor, we
must see the coefficient B as a variable. First of all, based
on R-T features, we obtain coefficient B curve equation
with
different
resistance
value
(changing
B

f
(R
)
temperature):
, then take B coefficient curve
equation into the formula (2), and the responding
temperature value should be gained.

temperature value T1 must be in the range of the actual

measurement temperature, or we select the intermediate
temperature value of measuring range;
2) Taking the other temperature values and their
corresponding resistance values as variables, that is, as
another pair of the temperature value T2 and resistor
value

R2 , from formula (1), we obtain the NTC

thermistor coefficient B curve at the different
temperatures and resistance value, respectively, it is
shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. NTC Thermal Resistance R-B characteristic curve

In the LabVIEW block diagram proceedings, we use

polynomial fitting algorithm, and set the number of fitting
polynomial as 4, and fit the R-B characteristic curve of
NTC thermistor, as shown in Figure 3, the fitting B
coefficient polynomial equation is as follows:

Figure 1. NTC Thermal Resistance T-B characteristic curve

III. NONLINEAR COMPENSATION DESIGN BASED

ON LABVIEW

B =3600.846-7.596388 R2 +0.21881 R 2 -0.003413

3

R2 +0.000020721434 R 2

To Use computer powerful computing capabilities, we

can develop and research in the LABVIEW software
platform of graphical programming language. Applying
inversion curve fitting algorithm, we take the
compensation for nonlinearity of the NTC thermistor
characteristics in real-time.
We select the production of Xinjiang sensor Limited
Liability Companymicro-beads-like precision NTC
thermistor, its resistance - temperature characteristic
curve is shown in Figure 2.

Coefficient B equation simplifies to:

B f ( R2 )
3) Taking the reference temperature value

(3)

T1 and the

corresponding resistance value R1 which are determined

in steps 1) and the B coefficient fitting polynomial
equation in step 2) into the equation (2):

T1 f ( R2 )
f ( R2 ) T1 ( InR1 InR2 )

(4)

Equation (4) is the high-precision non-linear

compensation formula of NTC thermistor R-T
characteristics.
The main program block diagram of nonlinear
compensation algorithm is shown in Figure 4.

Figure 2. NTC Thermal Resistance R-T characteristic curve

197

Figure 6. R-T curve of Theory, the R-T curve of Direct fitting and the
R-T curve of Inversion curve-fitting method

From the figure, we can see that the largest absolute

error of Direct fitting R-T curve is about 0.03; In
contrast, the largest absolute error of the R-T
characteristic curve which is dealed by the inversion
curve-fitting method is less than 0.004 .
V. CONCLUSION

Figure 4. inversion curve fitting algorithm process diagram

IV.

The NTC thermistor high-precision compensation

system based on LABVIEW, it can compensate for the
non-linearity of NTC thermistor R-T characteristics in
real-time. It has some advantages such as a high degree
flexibility and practicality, and the simple maintenance,
friendly man-machine interface and so on. We use
inversion curve fitting algorithm in the paper, even in the
wider temperature range, non-linear compensation effect
is also far better than the experience formula
compensation method and the polynomial direct fitting
compensation method, inversion curve-fitting method is a
feasible, practical non-linear compensation method, it can
be applied in many high-precision temperature
measurement and control system.

INTERFACE DESIGN AND RESULTS

ANALYSIS

We use the LabVIEW software

for non-linear
compensation correction, it not only facilitate
programming, but alse has a good man-machine interface,
fast data processing speed and its accuracy of
compensation will be greatly improved. Figure 5 shows
the main interface[9].

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The paper is supported by a power plant . And during
the researching and preparing the paper, many colleagues
give their self-giving help. So, I will give my thanks for
their great contribution.
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Figure 5. LABVIEW operator interface map

First of all, we set parameter "order", then click on

"START", the system will automatically pop up a dialog
box, in accordance with the path, we select a data file, in
the main interface, it shows immediately data response
curve and fitting polynomial , it is simple and fast, and
easy to operate.
Comparing the R-T curve by inversion curve-fitting
method and theory R-T curve and the direct fitting R-T
curve [8], we take a section of any curve as shown in
Figure 6.

198